invermere valley echo, april 20, 2016

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO PYNELOGS!1914 - 2014

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS

Final Cinefest Film for the season Tuesday April 26th at 7 pmGrandma

Groundswell’s operations manager Patsy Lussier (left) and education co-ordinator Ally Candy display bags of the delicious produce grown at the Community Greenhouse. Community gardening beds are still

available for rent. See page 8 for details. PHOTO BY BREANNE MASSEY

RDEK invoices MMBC for lack of serviceSTEVE HUBRECHT

[email protected]

The Regional District of East Koote-

any (RDEK) is sending a large bill to

Multi-Material BC (MMBC), charging

the organization for recycling services

the RDEK says it had to do on MMBC’s

behalf.

The RDEK board of directors voted

unanimously at their Thursday, April

7th governance and regional services

meeting to send a $764,000 invoice to

MMBC for costs the RDEK incurred

collecting and processing recyclable

materials identifi ed in the Recycling

Regulation of B.C. as part of the Pack-

aging and Printed Paper Stewardship

Plan operated by MMBC.

The MMBC organization took over

responsibility for most recycling pro-

grams in B.C. in May 2014, and ever

since local offi cials and residents have

been pointing to the drop in recycling

in rural part of the province, including

here in the East Kootenay.

“When MMBC came out, the rural

communities were upset because

what they were proposing wasn’t go-

ing to meet our needs,” said Radium

Hot Springs mayor Clara Reinhardt,

adding that the RDEK directors are not

truly expecting the

invoice to be paid.

“We’re mostly

trying to get peo-

ple’s attention and

show that one size

doesn’t fi t all when

it comes to recy-

cling programs,”

she said.

“The RDEK has consistently and con-

tinually been in touch with MMBC and

the Minister of Environment about the

lack of service that we have received

in our region. Essentially, we want the

service, and since we are not getting

it, we decided to bill MMBC for the

cost that we are incurring. We’ll see

what happens next,” said RDEK Area F

director and vice-chair Wendy Booth,

who was not present at the meeting.

The request for a decision by the di-

rectors on the matter was written by

RDEK environmental services man-

ager Kevin Pater-

son and outlines

that, prior to May

2014, MMBC told

the RDEK that its

yellow bin program

would “not fi t” the

MMBCs service

model.

In the yellow bin

program, 739 large yellow dumpster

bins are placed in East Kootenay

communities, usually near business-

es, schools or in other prominent lo-

cations, for commercial, residential,

industrial and institutional use to col-

lect recyclable materials.

“The RDEK was not permitted to en-

gage with MMBC in any contract ne-

gotiations for service delivery. MMBC

subsequently issued a request for pro-

posals whereby only one submission

was received. Because the submission

was considered to be too expensive,

no service was provided to to the res-

idents of the Kootenay region,” wrote

Paterson. “To date, the only East Koo-

tenay location funded by MMBC is

operated out of the Cranbrook bottle

depot. The RDEK has maintained recy-

cling services to its residents through

continued taxation and provision of

the yellow bin program.”

Reinhardt said that RDEK staff calcu-

lated how much of its yellow bin waste

was coming from residential sourc-

es and consequently how much was

spent by the RDEK on work MMBC

was supposed to do.

We’re mostly trying

to get people’s

attention and show that

one size doesn’t fi t all

when it comes to recycling

programs.CLARA REINHARDT

MAYOR, RADIUM HOT SPRINGS

See A3

ALLEYV CHOEThe Invermere

$105

INCLUDES GST

PUBLICATIONS MAIL

REGISTRATION NO. 78569Local farmers reap Slow Food reward

Conservation area cleared by volunteers16

Send your comments and letters to:

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Got something to say?

Invermere fi nancial statements show large surplus for 2015

STEVE HUBRECHT

[email protected]

Invermere council resolved to accept last year’s

fi nancial statements at its most recent council

meeting.

During the Monday, April 11th meeting, accounting

company BDO representative Harley Lee gave a brief

presentation to council on the statements, which

council then resolved to accept with little discussion,

as council members had already reviewed the state-

ments at a Committee of the Whole meeting earlier

in the day.

“It’s a good report and that’s what we strive for,”

said Coun. Greg Anderson, thanking Lee for his audit-

ing and Invermere chief fi nancial offi cer Karen Cote

for her diligent efforts in preparing the statements.

The statements outline fi nancial assets of $15.8 mil-

lion and liabilities of $14.3 million, for total net fi nan-

cial assets of $1.5 million. In addition, the district has

tangible capital assets (items including building and

equipment) worth $75 million.

In terms of revenue, the district reported a total

of more than $9.1 million in 2015, which included $4

million coming in from municipal taxes; $1.4 million

from provincial grants; $89,000 from regional grants;

$363,000 from service, penalties and interest charges;

$397,000 from contributions from developers and

others; $857,000 from water services; $1.1 million

from sewer services; $125,000 from interest income;

$70,000 from a Municipal Finance Authority actuarial

adjustment; and $698,000 from other revenue.

The district’s total expenses for 2015 were more

than $8.1 million, including general government ser-

vices of almost $1.4 million; protective services of a

bit more more than $1 million; transportation ser-

vices of $1.3 million; environmental health expenses

of a bit more than $300,000; public health and welfare

expenses of $46,000; $570,000 for community devel-

opment; $1.1 million for recreation and cultural ser-

vices; $1.2 million for water operating and adminis-

tration; and more than $1 million for sewer operating

and administration.

Invermere’s actual $9.1 million in revenue in 2015

was higher than the budgeted $8 million, and its

actual expenses of $8.1 million were lower than the

budgeted $8.5 million, which left the district with an

annual surplus of a more than $1 million.

Snapshot

ALLEY

VALLEY

VSnapshot

SQUARED AWAY... The Hip To Be Square old-time dance featuring the Kootenay

Stringbenders band and dance caller Leslie Gotfrit (far right) kept heart rates up

at the Lions Hall on Saturday, April 16th. The event travels throughout the region,

having previously held dances in Kimberley, Canmore and Fernie. Saturday night

was its fi rst time in Invermere. PHOTO BY BREANNE MASSEY

OCALL EWSN

A2 invermerevalleyecho.com Wednesday, April 20, 2016 The Valley Echo

Geoff HillMaxWell Realty Invermere

[email protected]

250-341-7600

invermerevalleyecho.com A3Wednesday, April 20, 2016 The Valley Echo

Paterson outlined the calcu-

lations in the request for the

directors’ decision, explaining

that if a bin was located behind

a locked gate at a business,

for instance, then 100 per cent

of those recyclables were as-

sumed to be commercial, and if

the bin was located in a residen-

tial neighbourhood then 100 per

cent of those recyclables were

assumed to be residential.

“There were various per-

centages applied to each bin

depending on its location and

some assumptions were made

as the percentage splits,” he

wrote.

In the end, about 52 per cent

of the recyclables collected

in 2015 in the 739 yellow bins

(roughly 3,370 tons) were from

residential sources. The RDEK’s

current contract price for the

yellow bin program is $275 a

ton, which, less $48 a ton (the

average market price for re-

cyclables sold in 2015), works

out to a net cost of more than

$764,000 spent by the RDEK col-

lecting residential recyclables

last year.

RDEK from A1

Smoke from grass fi res sparks complaints

OCALL EWSN

STEVE HUBRECHT

[email protected]

Invermere bylaw offi cer Mark Topliff’s

monthly report ignited brief discussion at

the most recent Invermere council meeting

about people burning grass in spring.

Topliff’s March bylaw report mentioned

there had been two complaint calls about

smoke caused by burning grass and that

“nothing can be done about this.”

“We don’t have a burning bylaw in town?”

asked Coun. Paul Denchuk at the Monday,

April 11th meeting.

Invermere chief administrative offi cer Chris

Prosser responded that fi res under a certain

size — typically a half metre by a half metre

— do not requiring a burning permit.

Denchuk suggested there is a potential

safety risk associated with burning grass

and pointed out that, in the past, people

have gotten into trouble with fi res getting

out of control.

Prosser said that there have certainly been

such incidents in the past, including one on

the Toby Benches several years ago.

Invermere mayor Gerry Taft said that at least

the grass burning was happening prior to the

fi re ban that typically comes in the summer,

although he added that, given the current

warm and dry conditions, that timeframe

could soon change. Prosser pointed out that

warnings on the dry conditions and potential

for wildfi res have already been issued.

Speaking after the meeting, Denchuk said,

“I guess my concern is that we live in a really

dry region and grass fi res can get away from

people.” He pointed out there was a small

grass fi re last summer in Invermere on the

embankment behind Gerry’s Gelati in down-

town Invermere.

Invermere fi re chief Roger Ekman con-

fi rmed with The Echo that the grass fi re be-

hind the gelati business started as a result

of a local resident using a whipper-snipper,

which struck a rock, causing a spark that

ignited the grass. Although the fi re was not

caused by burning grass, dry conditions do

mean “(small grass fi res) can get away easi-

ly,” said Ekman.

Denchuk added that he understands people

in rural areas use grass burning as a means

of fi re suppression, but added that even in

these instances, it is possible for the fi re to

get out of control, as was the case with Toby

Benches grass fi re.

“It could be a risk and I think we have bet-

ter ways to get rid of our yard waste. It’s free

at the landfi ll, and soon we’ll have a regional

composting program,” he said.

Topliff confi rmed with The Echo that no

burning permits are required for fi res less

than a half metre by half metre, and that

there is no requirement for such fi res to be

in a fi re pit or otherwise contained, and this

covers most grass burning, as long as it is

relatively short in duration.

“If they are going to be burn-

ing grass all day long, them they

need to notify the fi re depart-

ment,” said Topliff, adding that

the major concern in the com-

plaints he’s received is much

more to do with the health im-

pacts of the smoke such burning

creates, rather than the risk of

fi res getting out of control.

“For most,it’s a health issue.

That’s 90 per cent of the con-

cern,” he said.

Topliff added that he recently

did his own grass burning, doing

so in 10-foot (three-metre) sec-

tions and pausing to let the air

clear out between each section,

saying it helps aerate the lawn

and puts carbon back into the

ground.

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InvermereValleyEcho

@TheValleyEcho

Connect with uscbt.org/environment2016 1.800.505.8998

Apply Now!ENVIRONMENT GRANTS

Environment Grants provide funding for projects that help improve environmental well-being in the Basin.

We are currently accepting applications for environment projects of up to $10,000. Intake closes on May 16, 2016 at 3:30 p.m. PT/4:30 p.m. MT.

Learn more at cbt.org/environment2016.


Radium council confi rms UBCM attendanceBREANNE MASSEY

[email protected]

At the regular April 13th Radi-

um council meeting, Village of

Radium Hot Springs mayor Clara

Reinhardt and Coun. Tyler McCau-

ley confi rmed their attendance

for the Union of BC Municipalities

(UBCM) Convention at the Victo-

ria Conference Centre from Sep-

tember 26th to 30th. The theme

at this year’s UBCM is to create

strong, collective and unifi ed voic-

es in local government.

Finals readings for four bylaws

Councillor Ron Verboom made a

resolution to pass the fi nal read-

ings of four bylaws for housekeep-

ing purposes last week.

The Village of Radium Hot

Springs council unanimously

passed the Sewer System Regu-

lation and User Charge Amended

Bylaw No. 418, 2016 at their regu-

lar council meeting on April 13th

to adjust user rates and fees of the

recently upgraded sewer system.

In addition, the Radium coun-

cil unanimously passed the Wa-

ter System Regulation and User

Charge Amended Bylaw No. 419,

2016 at the meeting. The water

rates imposed with this change

came into effect on January 1st.


Springs council unanimously

passed the Financial Plan Bylaw

No. 420, 2016 to coincide with its

fi ve-year plan, which was recently

created by chief fi nancial offi cer

Karen Sharp, along with the Tax

Rates Bylaw No. 421, 2016.

There were no objections or dis-

cussions to the resolutions, which

allowed council to unanimously

move forward.

Water Sustainability Act

A valuable resource for current

and future generations is being

protected by new legislation that

aims to conserve ecosystems.

On February 29th, the province

created the Water Sustainabil-

ity Act to replace and improve

the old Water Act by protecting

stream health, regulating ground-

water and usage concerns.


Springs council accepted written

correspondence from Mary Polak

on behalf of the Ministry of Envi-

OUNCILC RIEFSB

ronment at their April 13th council meeting.

Polak’s letter to council indicated the new

act and regulations will help protect water

fl ows for fi sh by including new and improved

requirements for groundwater use and licens-

ing, well construction and maintenance, and

dam safety and compliance after being in-

formed by public comment and the province’s

policy intentions papers that were released

last summer.

For more information, visit www.gov.bc.ca/

water.

OPENING DOORS... M i c h e l e N e i d e r w i t h F a m i l y Dynamix presented information about affordable housing possibilities and challenges to the Village of Radium Hot Springs council at their regular April 13th council meeting. Council accepted the presentation a s i n f o r m a t i o n and encouraged Neider and with her colleagues at Family Dynamix to pursue an application for affordable housing funding through the province.

PHOTO BY

BREANNE MASSEY

April 25, 2016, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Turtle Dayat Elizabeth Lake

April 25

NICOLE TRIGG

[email protected]

From time to time, politicians get the

chance to make some waves and rock

the boat. Or they create that opportu-

nity themselves to draw attention to a

cause worth fi ghting for. In this case, the

Regional District of East Kootenay board

has decided to send a small tsunami to

Multi-Material BC in protest of the organi-

zation’s handling of residential recycling

services in the East Kootenay region.

On the MMBC website, it’s proudly stat-

ed that “MMBC is delivering more conve-

nient and consistent recycling services

to B.C. residents, with many communities

receiving curbside collection for the fi rst

time.”

But here in the East Kootenay, the op-

posite has been the case. With MMBC

refusing to absorb the RDEK’s yellow bin

program then offering just one MMBC

depot for the entire region, the RDEK is

still paying for recycling services. Mean-

while, MMBC is still collecting fees (paid

by businesses that supply packaging and

printed paper) that are supposed to fi -

nance residential recycling programs

throughout the province.

At the UBCM convention back in Sep-

tember, it was noted that 400 businesses

still weren’t paying their share to MMBC

— as required by the province’s recycling

regulation — to help recover the paper

and printed packaging they generate, in-

cluding B.C.’s newspaper industry, which

argues newspapers are already heavily

recycled and the fees would be cost-pro-

hibitive. The counter argument was that

if these fees were paid the program would

then be able to expand. In the meantime,

as Radium mayor Clara Reinhardt has

said, they don’t actually expect MMBC to

pay RDEK’s $764,000 invoice, but the ploy

will get some attention and at the very

least, set the stage for a UBCM debate at

this fall’s convention.

Something on your mind?

Th e Valley Echo welcomes

all letters to the editor

and submissions from

community and sports

groups, as well as special

community columns. Please

keep your signed, legible

submissions under 500

words. We reserve the right

to edit for clarity, taste, legal

reasons and brevity. Each

submission must contain

a daytime phone number

and place of residence. Send

email submissions to editor@

invermerevalleyecho.com.


DITORIALE

PINIONO

UMOURH

Recycling rollout leaves a lot to be desired

Why does community matter?

On the surface, this may seem

like a silly or rhetorical ques-

tion; it’s something that we

always assume is just a truth

— of course community is im-

portant. When you drill down

and try to fi nd out why, to try

to understand the reasons, ex-

amples are usually what come

to mind.

A relatively recent local exam-

ple is the generosity and caring

that came out during the fund-

raising campaign to help Tim

Goldie and family during what,

sadly, turned out to be a very

short battle with cancer. Anoth-

er even more current example

a little further away is how the

community of Golden is stand-

ing in solidarity and presenting

a united front in favour of their

rafting industry and against in-

dustrial giant Canadian Pacifi c

Rail and their interpretation of

Transport Canada rules.

There are other less dramatic

examples of the importance of

community, whether it is the

constant and under-recognized

volunteer efforts that occur

in every facet of our valley, or

the safe streets,

great schools and

awesome publics

services we all

take for granted

— these all matter,

make our home

great and give us

our sense of com-

munity.

It’s a tired issue:

people are tired

of the debate, tired of hearing

about it, tired of the whole

thing. It isn’t about the skiing,

it isn’t about the development,

it isn’t about the road, it isn’t

about the Ktunaxa’s spiritual

claims, and it isn’t even about

a Netfl ix documentary. It’s

about community. An area of

land with a group of people can

happily and successfully func-

tion as a community without

any kind of municipal status or

local government recognition.

In most cases, they

don’t even need

a mayor to write

columns in a news-

paper. However, an

area with no peo-

ple and with no

buildings — with

nothing — that has

a municipal status

and an appointed

mayor and coun-

cil? That isn’t a community,

and they shouldn’t have a say

on anything. They most defi -

nitely shouldn’t have a vote on

regional issues.

If the rules don’t change, as it

stands today, the municipality

that isn’t a community and the

mayor who isn’t really a mayor

(only on paper) will get a full

voting seat and have no choice

but to attend Regional District

of East Kootenay (RDEK) meet-

ings come January 1st, 2017.

The RDEK board has asked

the Province at a minimum to

delay any voting seat until at

least 2020 and to tie that voting

seat to a base minimuam level

of population and taxable as-

sessment.

Whether or not the Province

will make any changes and

clean up this mess is unclear.

What is right and wrong, what

is community and what is not

— that is very clear.

Gerry Taft is mayor of the

District of Invermere and a Re-

gional District of East Kootenay

director for the Columbia Valley.

He can be reached at taft.gerry@

gmail.com.

Jumbo mayor could soon vote on RDEK board

UNDOWNRRegional

ERRYGTAFT

NEXT WEEK’S QUESTION:Do you think MMBC will pay for the

$750,000 that the RDEK is invoicing for?

$o$

fo

QUESTION OF THE WEEKIn your opinion, will a community radio station fi nd

wide-spread support thoughout the Columbia Valley?

INVERMEREVALLEYECHO.com


Your agent works for youIn my last column, I spoke about

some of the agency obligations

we as Realtors have and that are

in contrast to some actions of

agents on the coast. This week,

I’d like to expand on exactly what

an agency relationship means to

our clients when helping them

buy or sell a home.

Buying or selling a home is a

signifi cant fi nancial transaction.

With the costs involved and the

prices of homes nowadays, buy-

ers and sellers expose themselves to more

risk today than they ever have. In life, as in

real estate, we can never eliminate risk, but

we can take steps to manage it.

When you ride a bike, you may choose to

wear a helmet. This is managing risk similar

to using a professional to help you through a

real estate transaction. There will always be

some that don’t wear a helmet, that is, until

they fall, and then they’ll never ride without

one!

The agency relationship requires us to put

our clients’ needs and interest above our

own. We work as a conduit and advisor. We

don’t tell our clients what to do. In fact, it’s

just the opposite. Our clients tell us what to

do and we have to do that to the best of our

abilities.

Let’s go over the agency obligations now.

The duty of undivided loyalty means that

your agent works for you and not for any-

one else without your expressed permission.

Your agent isn’t allowed to represent anoth-

er person in the same transaction unless

you agree and it’s entirely at your discretion

whether you agree to this or not. An agent

acting for two parties is called a limited dual

agent and limitations are placed on the du-

ties of agency under this arrangement.

As agents, we must act within the scope of

authority given to us by our clients. Basically,

our clients tell us what to do, what we have

to do it and nothing more. We cannot over ex-

tend or let our thoughts or feelings come into

the play when performing specifi c actions for

our clients. Often conversations with our cli-

ents result in them taking our advice. This is

what people expect from us and it’s what we

are here for, but, at the end of the day, we

operate within the scope set by you — the

client.

Sometimes real estate transactions are ini-

tiated for less-than-awesome reasons such

as death, divorce, disputes be-

tween family members and so on.

Regardless of the reason, it’s our

job to work with our clients and

protect their interest. If a seller

has to sell because they are go-

ing through a divorce then this is

information we want to limit oth-

er people having. A buyer might

fi nd this out and put in a much

lower offer than they would oth-

erwise. It’s our job to protect this

information. Conversely, if you’re

a buyer, it’s your agent’s job to try and fi nd

information like this because it’s their job to

represent your best interest, which may be

getting the lowest price on the house. Either

way, this means our clients can speak with us

openly about their situation and motivation

for buying or selling. We are not allowed to

disclose any of this information without their

expressed consent.

When we perform actions on behalf of our

clients, we must do so using reasonable care

and skill. We are viewed as experts and, with-

in the law, as minor as the word “reasonable”

may seem, it carries a whole lot of weight

when our clients are relying on us for help.

One example of not using reasonable care

and skill could be listing a commercial prop-

erty when you have never done so before and

have no expertise in that area of real estate.

As a Realtors, we will still be viewed as the

experts regardless of our actual knowledge.

The agency relationship is the keystone of

our industry and it goes a long way to helping

clients through a signifi cant and risky trans-

action and making sure they are getting the

help they need from us or other profession-

als. These duties under the agency relation-

ship carry a lot of weight and we take that

very seriously.

If you have any questions about agency or

how working with a Realtor works, then visit

your local brokerage and ask. You can also

visit the the BC Real Estate Council website

for more information at www.recbc.ca.

*This column is for entertainment only and

not intended to be construed as advice in

any way. Information should be independent-

ly verifi ed and all sellers and buyers are en-

couraged to contact their Realtor for help

with buying and selling. This is not intend-

ed to solicit business. No chipmunks were

harmed in the writing of this column.

Geoff Hill is a licensed Realtor with Max-

PINIONO

Well Realty Invermere, holding

a trading services licence since

May 2008. Originating from West

Vancouver, he came to the valley

for the snow and stayed for the

people and lifestyle. Geoff enjoys

volunteering with the local fi re

department and roller derby team

as well as playing roller derby and

many other sports himself.

ASYEReal Estate is

EOFFGHILL Making treaties

in under 600 yearsB.C.’s fi fth mod-

ern treaty took

effect April 5, for-

malizing self-gov-

ernment for the

Tla’amin Nation

on B.C.’s Sunshine

Coast.

The settlement

includes Crown

and reserve land

in the Powell Riv-

er area, in a tradi-

tional territory that includes

Lasqueti, Texada and Cortes

Islands as well as Comox on

Vancouver Island.

It transfers 6,405 hectares of

former provincial Crown land,

including forest and miner-

al rights, plus a $33.9 million

capital transfer and a $7.9 mil-

lion economic development

fund. Since the agreement

was signed two years ago, the

Tla’amin have endorsed a con-

stitution that Chief Clint Wil-

liams said ensures transparent

and accountable government.

“I think it gives us a little

more leverage in speaking

with B.C. and Canada, as we

will own the land that we’re

trying to conduct business

on,” Williams said.

Tla’amin elder Elsie Paul had

a more personal take on the

long-awaited treaty.

“We can’t be stuck where

we’ve been stuck forever,

where we’re on

reserve land, just

for us,” she said.

“It feels like you’re

trapped there. And

hopefully, those

gates have opened,

to also welcome

people to come to

our community.

“Because in the

past, in my grow-

ing up years, we

never had friends, people from

Powell River or anywhere else.

We were not allowed to have

visitors, and we were not al-

lowed to mingle in town with

white people.”

Communities can also look

to the example of the Tsaw-

wassen First Nation, which

has attracted $1 billion in new

investment since its treaty was

implemented in 2009.

Aboriginal Relations Minister

John Rustad said the Tla’amin

treaty shows the B.C. Treaty

Commission is still working,

despite having gone without a

chief commissioner since the

province refused to appoint

one a year ago.

Rustad said that was a signal

from the B.C. government that

it can’t carry on at the cur-

rent pace, which has seen one

treaty on average every three

years.

See A7

EWSVB.C.

OFLETCHER

PINIONO

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PINIONOCountdown to childbirthWhen I announced my pregnan-

cy to the Echo and Pioneer staff, a small cohort of female coworkers with adult children promptly in-formed me that it’s important not to worry about the embarrassing but often overlooked details of one’s changing body during this hormonally glorious time.

“Don’t worry, you won’t be ashamed about anything af-ter childbirth,” ex-plained Amanda, our sales rep.

Her insight was le-gitimate and I am al-ways willing to con-sider good advice, so last weekend when I arrived at the hospital with my shirt on backwards assuming I was in early labour (but wasn’t), this sound advice came back to me as I giggled about the mix-up and my own disappointment.

He might not be ready, but I sure am.

This scenario has undoubtedly taught me two important life les-sons: 1) false labour is no joke; 2) and, as one emergency doctor told me in jest during a different trip to seek help at the local hos-pital, “pregnancy is stupid.”

And it is a bit stupid how dra-matically pregnancy changes your body, mind and spirit.

As a result, my deepest sympa-thies go out to those patient people (who I do not envy) who actively chose to work in the ba-by-catching business. It is not a

task that I could do, or one that my stom-ach could easily tol-erate.

Two days later, when I was sitting back at the news-room, I told Amanda about my latest con-fusion and insisted that I reserved the right to continually embarrass myself

until Mini-Me arrives in the real world.

Her only response was pure, un-adulterated laughter.

It dawned on me then that there will be some obvious changes on the horizon, but when the bam-bino stubbornly stayed put (for now), I quickly discovered the waiting game has begun and I am counting the days.

Breanne Massey is a report-er for The Valley Echo and can be reached at [email protected].

REANNEBMASSEY

ECORDROff the

In the story titled “Proposed logging with-

in view of Canal Flats opposed” in the April

13th Valley Echo, it was incorrectly stated

that Canfor plans to carry out conventional

logging operations on the Kootenay Forest

Service road near the Village of Canal Flats.

To clarify, the cut block in question is part

of the village’s Interface Fire Protection

project. Invermere-based Summit Valley

Contracting will be doing the selective log-

ging in the area, and have been working with

Canfor to obtain the licences for the work,

while Canfor is taking on the mapping and

the public consultation for Summit Valley.

The public notice provided by Canfor to

Canal Flats council at their March 29th meet-

ing did not explain in detail the forest ac-

tivities proposed for this block, which led

council to believe it was a new logging op-

eration.

The Valley Echo regrets any confusion this

article may have caused.

Clarifi cation: Canfor logging near Canal Flats

“And so if you do the extrapolation, we have

203 bands, that’s over 600 years of negotia-

tions,” Rustad told me. “And even if we could

fi nd a way to accelerate that to the point

where we’re celebrating a new treaty every

year, that is still 200 years of negotiations.

“And that is why we didn’t go forward with

a chief commissioner. We have to fi nd a way

to be able to do something more effectively.”

It gets worse. The Lheidli T’enneh First Na-

tion near Prince George completed a treaty

after years of work, only to see it rejected by

a community vote in 2007. After nearly a de-

cade, a second vote is scheduled for this fall.

And the Yale First Nation was to implement its

treaty this month, but the new council for the

160-member village in the Fraser Canyon con-

fi rmed to Rustad last week that they want out.

The Yale agreement has been controversial

from the start, with the larger Sto:lo Nation

viewing the community as a splinter group

controlling fi shing sites contested for thou-

sands of years. But the new Yale council is

more sympathetic to the Sto:lo, so the latest

setback could turn into a positive.

There have been previous efforts to deal

with aboriginal rights and title on a broader

scale. The latest one foundered after aborigi-

nal leaders rejected a province-wide proposal

offered by former premier Gordon Campbell.

Similar to the Sto:lo, the Tla’amin have a

history of territorial overlap with the Kla-

hoose, Sechelt and others.

Paul said there is a tradition of working to-

gether in her home region.

We’re building relationships with our neigh-

bours, as well as building relationships with

our neighbouring First Nations communi-

ties,” she said.

Tom Fletcher is B.C. legislature reporter and

columnist for Black Press. Email: tfl etcher@

blackpress.ca. Twitter: @tomfl etcherbc.

BC Views from A6

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or post-secondary student can apply or be nominated by a secret admirer!


OMMUNITYC

19 - 24th Avenue South, Cranbrook BC V1C 3H8Ph: 250-489-2791 • 888-478-7335

The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) Board of Directors is considering adoption of an amendment to the Steamboat-Jubilee Mountain Official Community Plan area boundary so that it will match the plan area boundary of the proposed Toby Benches OCP.

Bylaw No. 2677 cited as “Regional District of East Kootenay – Steamboat-Jubilee Mountain Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 1926, 2006 – Amendment Bylaw No. 10, 2016 (Miscellaneous / RDEK).”

A public hearing will be held at: Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce 651 Highway 93/95

Invermere, BC Monday, April 25, 2016 at 7:00 pm

The Board has delegated the holding of this hearing to the Directors for Electoral Area F and Electoral Area G.

If you believe that your interest in property is affected by the proposed Bylaw, you may prior to the hearing:

• inspect the Bylaw and supporting information at the RDEK office in Cranbrook from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday, excluding statutory holidays;

• mail, fax or email written submissions to the addresses/numbers shown below; or

• present written and/or verbal submissions at the hearing.

SUBMISSIONS CANNOT BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE PUBLIC HEARINGAll submissions will form part of the public record and will be published in a meeting agenda posted online. Personal contact information such as phone and email will be removed from written submissions. Questions about the disclosure of your personal information may be referred to the Corporate Officer at 250-489-2791 or 1-888-478-7335.

This notice is not an interpretation of the Bylaw. For more information, contactKris Belanger, Planner at 250-489-6903 or toll free at 1-888-478-7335 or email [email protected].

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE - BYLAW 2677Bylaw Amendment - Miscellaneous/RDEK

Regional District of East Kootenay

Fundraising Opportunity

The RDEK is establishing a collection area for bottle / can collection at the Columbia Valley Landfill and is looking for a non-profit club or organization interested in maintaining the collection area.

The successful candidate will collect the bottles and cans, return them to the bottle depot for refund and keep the proceeds.

If your club or organization is looking for a fundraising opportunity and has the committed volunteers to consistently collect the bottles and cans from the designated area at the Landfill, we want to hear from you!

Please send a letter of interest to:

Jim PensonRDEK Solid Waste Superintendent

19-24th Ave. South

Cranbrook, BC V1C 3H8

Email: [email protected]

If you have questions or would like additional information, contact Jim toll free at 1-888-478-7335.

Community Greenhouse education

co-ordinator Ally Candy holds up a bunch

of radishes she picked from a gardening bed

inside the greenhouse.

PHOTO BY BREANNE MASSEY

Groundswell’s Rent-A-Plot deadline fast approaching

Gardening hobby-

ists and green thumb

enthusiasts have

been invited by the

Groundswell Net-

work Society to rent

a plot in the perma-

culture garden at the

Community Green-

house.

On Thursday, April

28th at 6:30 p.m.,

the Groundswell

Network Society will

be hosting an ori-

entation night for

registered partici-

pants and creating

a rotational water-

ing schedule for the

raised garden beds in

the outdoor garden.

Those not yet regis-

tered are encouraged

to contact Ground-

swell to arrange a

gardening plot before

the orientation night

takes place.

People can apply

online the website or

contact Groundswell

via email at info@

groundswellnetwork.

ca. Successful appli-

cants will receive ac-

cess to the plot with

great soil in a deer-

free area.

“There’s also a

third layer to what

we’re offering this

season,” said Pat-

sy Lussier, Ground-

swell’s co-ordinator

for the Rent-A-Plot

and operations man-

ager. “For people

who can’t quite com-

mit to the season,

we’re going to have

quite a few programs

here that require

people to get in-

volved with time and

work in exchange for

produce, so come

and put your hands

in the dirt and work

with us.”

Up to seven return-

ing gardeners rang-

ing from seniors to

families with young

children have con-

fi rmed their spots in

the program. There

are nine open spaces

being offered to the

community on a fi rst

come, fi rst served ba-

sis with plots ranging

from $20 to $55 ($1.50

per square foot).

The price includes

supplied water and

soil in a fenced-off

area at the Commu-

nity Greenhouse, but

participants are re-

quired to bring their

own seeds to plant.

In addition, there

are fi ve new commu-

nity beds that were

built for gardening in

this year’s program.

For those commu-

nity gardeners who

don’t have time to

commit to a sea-

sonal program such

as Rent-A-Plot, the

U-Pick program will

begin during open-

ing hours in May

(9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on

Wednesday, Thurs-

day and Friday as

well as from 3 to 7

p.m.). More informa-

tion will be released

to the Columbia Val-

ley community this

spring.

There will also be

casual opportunities

for volunteers who

are willing to spend

time working to har-

vest produce in ex-

change for permacul-

ture knowledge and

fresh produce.

“We’ve had every-

body from seniors to

families with young

children involved

here,” said Ally Can-

dy, the Groundswell

Network Society’s

education co-ordi-

nator. “And we have

everybody from be-

ginning gardeners

— people who have

never done it before

— to really experi-

enced gardeners, so

there’s a mentorship

that happens with-

in the group itself

and also, from the

Groundswell per-

spective, we men-

tor people and help

them along in their

gardening experi-

ence as well.”

For more infor-

mation about the

program, email

greenhouse@ground-

swellnetwork.ca or

visit www.ground-

swellnetwork.ca.

BREANNE MASSEY

[email protected]

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Windermere farmers reap the rewardBREANNE MASSEY

[email protected]

Edibles Farm have yielded national recogni-tion in the heart of the Columbia Valley.

The Windermere-based agricultural business was recently awarded top honours during Slow Food Canada’s 2016 National Summit that took place here in the valley from April 6th to 10th. Owners Lin and Oliver Egan won the Slow Food Heroes Award for British Columbia after edging out several nominees from across the province, from the Columbia Valley, the Lower Mainland, Thompson-Okanagan, Vancouver Is-land and the Gulf Islands. Each year, the award is given to fi ve regions across Canada: British Columbia, the Prairies, Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes.

“We were so thrilled that Lin and Oliver were chosen,” said Slow Food Columbia Valley lead-er Alison Bell in an email.

The Egans have operated Edibles Farm, for-merly known as Edible Acres, for the past nine years in Windermere as part of a collabora-tive partnership with Winderberry Nurseries, which is owned by Lin’s parents, Jack Steed-man and Glenda Wah. Last year, the Edibles Farm transitioned into Edibles Farm + Cafe + Catering in a strong effort to include family members such as Anna Steedman and Randy MacSteven in the business.

Along with their farming family, the Egan cou-ple is raising two sons, Cade and Riley.

Lin has made contributions to both the East Kootenay Agricultural Plan and the Slow Food Canada National Summit. She graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Global Resource Systems with the University of B.C. while Oli-ver completed a certifi cate in recreation lead-

ership and spent three years studying econom-ics. His appetite to learn about horticulture has helped him and Lin succeed at Edibles Farm.

Edibles Farm is most widely recognized for being the fi rst Certifi ed Organic Farm with a highly popular Community Supported Agri-culture (CSA) program in the East Kootenay region of B.C.

In addition, the Windermere-based business comes equipped with 55 different varieties of vegetables.

Criteria for the Slow Food Canada Food Hero Award includes: ingenuity and entrepreneurial activity promoting a healthier food system; so-cio-political commitment to promoting a sus-tainable food system; excellence in corporate commitment to sustainable foods or enacting corporate policy changes; commitment within government to enact socially forward policy changes.

The Employment Program of British Columbia is funded by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia.

Start With Us. We Can Help! www.ekemployment.org 250-341-6889 / 1-855-651-3027

Looking for Work? Need a Resume? Self-Employment?

All employment services are free! Eligibility criteria may apply.

Invermere Location: 2-1313 7th Ave. (Open Mon to Fri)

A look back through Th e Valley Echo's archives over the last 50 years

REMEMBER WHEN?

50 years ago (1966):

A story of congrat-

ulations was published

for valley resident Todd

Fisher, who had gradu-

ated from the RCMP Re-

cruit Training Depot in

Regina. Fisher was ready-

ing for his fi rst job post-

ing, in Saskatchewan.


Invermere post-

master John Koralewicz

announced that the local

post offi ce would start

locking its front door

(denying local residents

access to their mailbox-

es) each evening. The

move came after a week-

end of particularly dis-

gusting vandalism to the

post offi ce, which had

somebody vomit in the

outside mail chute on Fri-

day night, spread human

faeces on the walls and

fl oor of the mail box area

on Saturday night, and

throw more human fae-

ces down the inside mail

chute on Sunday night.


Local MLA James

Chabot announced

funding for three major

highway projects in the

East Kootenay, including

building a new bridge

over the mouth of the Co-

lumbia River in Athalm-

er. Chabot made the

announcement in April

and estimated that work

would begin two months

from then.


J. Alfred Laird

Elementary School stu-

dents together with lo-

cal environmental group

East Kootenay Environ-

mental Society (now

Wildsight) and commu-

nity volunteers planted

trees around the Toby

Creek canyon and around

the school yard. The stu-

dents and volunteers

planted aspen, birch and

larch and the effort was

funded by a $2,500 Global

Relief Work grant.


Two local students

earned special recogni-

tion for their words and

artwork commemorating

Remembrance Day. Edge-

water Elementary School

students Wyatt Kohorst

and Danny Schnider had

submitted entries to the

Royal Canadian Legion’s

province-wide Remem-

brance Day Art and Essay

Competition in Novem-

ber 1995 and April 1996.

They learned that Wy-

att had placed second,

earning a $75 prize, and

Danny had placed third,

earning a $50 prize.


Local judo prac-

titioners were thrilled

when Olympic silver

medallist Nicholas Gill

visited the valley to work

out with the Invermere

Judo Club. Gill was the

the fi rst Canadian to

win the world university

games, the fi rst Canadi-

an to win three medals

at the world judo games,

and the fi rst Canadian to

win two medals at the

Olympics.


Village of Radi-

um Hot Springs council

approved a motion that

opened the door to cre-

ation of a cat licensing

bylaw. The move was an

attempt to deal with Ra-

dium’s then-sizable fereal

cat population.

TREETSTHES

What do you think of

grass burning? Good

idea or bad idea?

What do you think of grass burning? Good idea or bad idea?“I don’t know. I suppose it could spread. I wouldn’t do it on my lawn.”

Riley Hayward

“I don’t have a problem, as long as it’s done safely. It renews the soil and prevents larger fi res. But it’s not good if you have asthma. I see the reasons for it, but I compost my lawn waste.”

Debra Griffi th

“Bad idea.”Brian Sheehan


APRIL 2007 - Invermere Fire Rescue members conducted an interface fi re burn of dry grass along 7th Avenue in Invermere, hoping to cut down on the number of inevitable grass fi res that occur every spring.

ECHO FILE PHOTO

Have an event you’d

like listed? Email it to: production@

invermerevalleyecho.com

THE

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20TH

• The 2016 Columbia Valley

Golf Junior Tour kicks off at

Windermere Valley Golf Course. For

information or to register visit www.

columbiavalleygolftrail.com/jrtour.

• 8 a.m.: Radium Hot Springs Sunrise

Rotary meets for breakfast every fi rst

and third Wednesday from April thru

October at The Springs Golf Course.

Breakfast $10. Everyone welcome.

• 5 - 7 p.m.: Summit Youth Centre

(SYC) YCC Challenges program.

• 6 p.m.: SYC games and trivia night.

THURSDAY, APRIL 21ST

• TBA: Invermere Curling Centre AGM.

• 4 - 6 p.m.: SYC Graphics Course.

• 4 - 8 p.m.: SYC open gym. Come play

sports with us. Everyone welcome.

• 5 - 7 p.m.: Martin Morigeau

Elementary School in Canal Flats

Grade 2/3 class fi eld trip Family

Fundraiser. Food, music, silent

auction, etc. Everyone welcome!

• 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.: Wild Ideas at

Circle Cafe, hosted by Wildsight.

April’s discussion topic is

Permaculture www.wildsight.ca/

wildideasinvermere.

• 6:30 p.m.: Texas Hold Em’

Tournament at the Invermere Legion

every Thursday. $35 buy in

• 7 - 9 p.m.: Artist Reception at

Pynelogs featuring: Vic Panei,

Elizabeth Segstro, Darlene Purnell &

Janis Dyck & Colin Bell. Live DJ and

cash bar. Show runs until May 1st.

FRIDAY, APRIL 22ND

• 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.: Celebrate Earth Day

at the Groundswell Network Society’s

community greenhouse Interactive

open house, adjacent to DTSS.

• 2 - 8 p.m.: Craft and Home Based

Business Fair at Christ Church

Trinity.

• 5 - 7 p.m.: SYC YCC Challenges

program.

• 6:30 p.m.: Turkey Dinner at Branch

71 Legion in Invermere. $17.50.

Reservations recommended. Call

250-342-9517. Meat Draw and 50/50.

• 6:30 p.m.: Kick Up Your Boots DTSS

athletic department fundraiser. Silent

auction, door prizes, refreshments

and snacks. Music by The Flatliners

and Valley Forged. Tickets $10 adults,

$7 students, or $25 family pass.

• 7 - 10 p.m.: Fresh Fridays Open Mic

at Pynelogs. Showcasing young talent

from the valley. All ages, licensed bar.

First Friday of every month.

• 7:30 p.m.: SYC Rockband competition.

SATURDAY, APRIL 23RD

• 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.: Cycling Society annual

bike and gear swap at Invermere

Community Hall. Bring gear in from

9 - 11 a.m.. Sale from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Pick up unsold gear and money at 1

p.m. Toonie charge to bring gear in.

Fundraiser to help cycling society

build and maintain trails.

• 10 a.m.: Valley Pride/Pitch In. Help

clean up the Columbia Valley. Check

with local community organizers for

details and meeting places.

• 2 - 8 p.m.: Craft and Home Based

Business Fair at Christ Church

Trinity.

• 7 p.m.: It’s All About the Word,

Poetry Reading and book signing with

Richard Therrien and live music with

Bruce Childs at Pynelogs Cultural

Centre. Admission by donation at the

door. Supported by CV Arts and the

Invermere Public Library.

• 7 p.m.: SYC Pool Tournament.

• 10 p.m.: Burlesque show at the

Horsethief Creek Pub & Eatery in

Radium. Tickets $10 in advance or

$12 at the door.

SUNDAY, APRIL 24TH

• 12 p.m.: The Windermere Valley

Youth Centre hosts a celebrity

luncheon for Shuswap Indian Band

chief Barb Cote in the Quartz Grand

Hall at Copper Point Resort.

MONDAY, APRIL 25TH

• Join SYC for Employment Readiness

Training or Skills for Life! Program.

Must pre register.


program.

• 6:50 p.m.: Ladies Night Out ‘Heart

Clutter’ with guest speaker Marnie

Rilling. Lake Windermere Alliance

Church. Tickets $15 at Inspire Floral

Boutique downtown Invermere or

call Eileen 250-270-1275.

TUESDAY, APRIL 26TH

• 4 -6 p.m.: SYC Cooking night. Join

us for Free Food and nutritional

education.

• 7 p.m.: Cinefest at Pynelogs presents

Grandma. Tickets $12 at the door.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27TH

• 11:45 a.m.: The Rotary Club of

Invermere meets every Wednesday

at the Curling Rink.


program.

• 6 p.m.: SYC games and trivia night.

THURSDAY, APRIL 28TH

• 4 - 6 p.m.: SYC Graphics Course.

• 4 - 8 p.m.: SYC open gym. Come play

sports with us. Everyone welcome.

• 7 p.m.: The Truth About Cancer

Series, #6 NOCEBO Effect, Healing

Vaccines, Advanced Detoxing &

Going inside a German Cancer Clinic.

DTSS Theatre. Admission by optional

donation.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29TH

• 12 p.m.: Soup lunch at the Edgewater

Legion. $6. Last Friday of each month.


program.

• 7 - 10 p.m.: Fresh Fridays Open Mic

at Pynelogs. Showcasing young talent

from the valley. All ages, licensed

bar. First Friday of every month.

• 7:30 p.m.: SYC Karaoke night.

SATURDAY, APRIL 30TH

• 6 p.m.: The Hospice Society will be

hosting its 4th Annual Butterfl y Gala

at the Radium Course Banquet Hall.

Tickets are $50 and available at the

Circle Cafe, Sobeys, Meet on Higher

Ground in Radium Hot Springs,

Smoking Waters CC in Fairmont and

the Village offi ce in Canal Flats.

• 7 p.m.: SYC Movie night and free

popcorn.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 4TH

• 8 a.m.: Radium Hot Springs Sunrise

Rotary meets for breakfast every fi rst

and third Wednesday from April thru

October at the Springs Golf Course.

Breakfast $10. Everyone welcome.




THURSDAY, MAY 5TH


Series, #7 Healing Cancer with Clean

Electricity, Unique Water,Natural

Sunlight & Combining Superfoods.

DTSS Theatre. Admission by optional

donation.

FRIDAY, MAY 6TH

• 7:30 p.m.: Christ Church Trinity

hosts the Valley Voices Spring

Concert. Tickets available at Meet

on Higher Ground in Radium, Purple

Cow Gift Shop in Fairmont, and

Inspire Floral Boutique in Invermere

(formerly The Book Bar). Tickets $10/

adult and $5/children.

SATURDAY, MAY 7TH

• 7:30 p.m.: Christ Church Trinity

hosts the Valley Voices Spring

Concert. Tickets available at Meet

on Higher Ground in Radium, Purple

Cow Gift Shop in Fairmont, and

Inspire Floral Boutique in Invermere

(formerly The Book Bar). Tickets $10/

adult and $5/children.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11TH




THURSDAY, MAY 12TH


Series, #8 Cannabis, Nature’s Epigenetic

switches, Peptides & Healing with

Micronutrient Therapies. DTSS Theatre.

Admission by optional donation.

HOURS

INVERMERE NVERMERE LIBRARYIBRARY

• Tuesday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m • Tuesday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m

• Wednesday: 10 a.m - 8 p.m.• Wednesday: 10 a.m - 8 p.m.

• Thurs – Saturday: 10 a.m - 5p.m.• Thurs – Saturday: 10 a.m - 5p.m.

• Story Times: Thurs. 10:30 a.m.• Story Times: Thurs. 10:30 a.m.

Sat. 11 a.m. Sat. 11 a.m.

RADIUM ADIUM LIBRARYIBRARY

• Tuesday: 6 - 8 p.m.• Tuesday: 6 - 8 p.m.

• Wed - Thursday: 1 - 4 p.m.• Wed - Thursday: 1 - 4 p.m.

• Saturday: 10 a.m. - 1p.m.• Saturday: 10 a.m. - 1p.m.

WINDERMERE INDERMERE VALLEY ALLEY MUSEUMUSEUM


INVERMERE THRIFT STOREINVERMERE THRIFT STORE

• Thurs - Saturday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.• Thurs - Saturday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

RADIUM ADIUM THRIFT HRIFT STORETORE

• Thursday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.• Thursday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

• Fri - Saturday: 12 - 4 p.m.• Fri - Saturday: 12 - 4 p.m.

SUMMIT UMMIT YOUTH OUTH CENTREENTRE


• Wednesday: 4 - 9 p.m.• Wednesday: 4 - 9 p.m.

• Thursday: 5 - 9 p.m.• Thursday: 5 - 9 p.m.

• Fri - Saturday: 6 - 11 p.m.• Fri - Saturday: 6 - 11 p.m.

FREE tutoring available and FREE tutoring available and

volunteer tutors needed. Contact the volunteer tutors needed. Contact the

Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy

[email protected]@cbal.com



CLUES ACROSS 1. Crooned 5. Luck 8. Cosecant function 11. Rock bands play here 13. Surrounds the earth 14. Jessica __ 15. A type of clique 16. No seats available 17. Greek sophist 18. Stiff hair 20. Recipe measurement (abbr.) 21. Legal periodical 22. Saloons 25. He tricks you 30. Closing over 31. Man’s best friend is one 32. Distinguish oneself 33. Immoralities 38. Marsh elder

41. Blasts 43. A discerning judge 45. Avenge for a wrong 48. Doctors’ group 49. Jerry’s friend 50. Type of sword 55. Swedish rock group 56. Black tropical American cuckoo 57. Blatted 59. Cain and __ 60. Strong liquor fl avored with juniper berries 61. Cocoa bean 62. Get free of 63. Cardiograph 64. A cargo (abbr.) CLUES DOWN 1. A baglike structure in a plant or animal

2. Bird genus 3. One point east of north-east 4. A type of fl y 5. Hurry 6. Lighter-than-air craft 7. Ask to marry 8. Th ick rope made of wire 9. Imposters 10. Central nervous system 12. Pie _ __ mode 14. Robert __, poet 19. Dwelt 23. Firewood 24. Voices 25. Water in the solid state 26. Superman’s foe 27. Chris Paul’s team (abbr.) 28. Employ 29. Mineral 34. Vessel

35. Nigerian City 36. Romania 37. Sirius Satellite Radio (abbr.) 39. Potential diff erence 40. A class of synthetic deter-gents 41. Drunkard 42. Doesn’t win or lose 44. Appellative 45. Spiritual leader 46. Implant 47. Language (Afrikaans) 51. Basics 52. A one-time Giants center 53. Every one of two or more 54. A way to gather 55. Swiss river 58. Small spot

Answers to last week

Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fi ll each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. Figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers named, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

UDOKUS

ROSSWORDC

RAINBGAMES FRIDAY April 24

Cloudy with sunny breaks 23o

C

SATURDAY April 25

Cloudy with sunny breaks 22o

C

SUNDAY April 26

Cloudy with showers 17o

C

EATHERWWeekend

Just last month, the Columbia Valley Metis Association

held an inclusive Kitchen Party event celebrating their

culture, which has now been given a huge boost of

support by the Supreme Court of Canada’s recent ruling.

FILE PHOTO BY MARLENE CHABOT

Supreme Court ruling recognizes Metis, non-status Indians

BREANNE MASSEY

[email protected]

A landmark victory for non-status Indians and the

Metis Nation in Canada means more than 600,000 Ca-

nadians can move forward with national recognition.

The Supreme Court of Canada unanimously ruled

that non-status Indians and Métis are considered “In-

dians” under Section 91(24) of the 1867 Constitution-

al Act on Thursday, April 14th. The ruling extends the

federal government’s responsibilities to approximate-

ly 200,000 Métis and 400,000 non-status Aboriginal

people who are not affi liated with specifi c reserves.

“As President of Métis Nation British Columbia, I am

so proud and thankful to be Métis and to represent

Métis people in our province,” said Bruce Dumont,

Metis Nation of BC (MNBC) president in a recent

press release. “All Métis should feel great pride today

given this decision because the Supreme Court of

Canada has confi rmed what the federal government

has disputed for the last nearly 150 years — that the

federal government has an obligation to recognize

and accept it has unfulfi lled obligations to the Métis

people in this country. It is now time to get on with

that task.”

According to the Metis National Council website,

“Metis” means a person who self-identifi es as Metis,

is distinct from other Aboriginal Peoples by having a

combination of ancestry from both European and Ca-

nadian ancestry, and is accepted by the Metis Nation.

According to Indigenous and Northern Affairs Can-

ada0, the term “non-status Indians” refers to people

who identify themselves as Indians, but who weren’t

allowed to register under the Indian Act (for exam-

ple, descendants of an Indigenous woman who lost

her status when she married a non-status Caucasian

man). Some of them may be members of a First Na-

tion.

MNBC has plans to review all 27 pages of the deci-

sion and anticipates it will be working closely with

the other members of the MNC Board of Governors

to continue on the path of reconciliation with Canada.

“We helped build this country, and our ancestors

beginning in the 1700s played pivotal roles in help-

ing to make British Columbia part of Confederation,”

said Mr. Dumont. “Métis have always worked hard

and contributed to this great country – now it is time

for our federal government and our provincial gov-

ernment to accept this important legal ruling and to

begin the task of reconciliation.”

MNBC will also be working with the Government of

British Columbia to begin addressing the implications

of this important decision on Métis in this province.

“This is a landmark ruling that will have broad con-

sequences and impacts,” said Prime Minister Justin

Trudeau in a recent CBC report, adding that the gov-

ernment will need to study what those impacts might

be. He added, “But I can guarantee you one thing, the

path forward will be together as we move forward.”

For more information about the Columbia Valley

Metis Association (CVMA), visit their page “Colum-

bia Valley Metis Association” on Facebook. CVMA

president Debra Fisher could not be contacted for a

comment about her reaction to the decision before

The Echo went to press. The Echo newsroom will be

following up with the CVMA shortly.

invermerevalleyecho.com A13Wednesday, April 20, 2016 The Valley Echo invermerevalleyecho.com A13Wednesday, April 13, 2016 The Valley EchoThe Valley Echo Wednesday, April 20, 2016 www.invermerevalleyecho.com A13

CHURCH SERVICES DIRECTORYWINDERMERE

VALLEY SHARED MINISTRY

ANGLICAN-UNITED

100-7th Ave., Invermere250-342-6644

Reverend Laura Hermakinwvsm.ca

Worship, Every Sunday:10:30 a.m. Children and Youth Sunday School

at 10:30 a.m at Christ Church

Trinity, Invermere

1st and 3rd Sunday, March - Dec. 9 a.m. at All Saint’s, Edgewater

2nd Sunday, 7 p.m.: June - Oct. at

St.Peter’s Windermere

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

250-342-6167Pastor: Father Gabriel

Confession: 1/2 hr. before Mass

Canadian Martyrs Church712 - 12 Ave, Invermere

Saturdays, 5 p.m.Sundays, 9 a.m.

St. Joseph’s ChurchHwy. 93-95, Radium Hot

SpringsSundays, 11 a.m.

St. Anthony’s MissionCorner of Luck and Dunn,

Canal FlatsSaturdays, 4:30 p.m.

RADIUM CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

#4 - 7553 Main Street W, Radium

250-342-6633 250-347-6334

Worship Service Sundays, 10 a.m.

Bible Studies Wednesdays, 7 p.m.

Kids’ Church Edgewater Hall

Thursdays, 6:30 p.m.

Loving God, Loving People

LAKE WINDERMEREALLIANCE CHURCH

326 - 10th Ave., Invermere250-342-9535

Lead Pastor: Trevor HaganAsso. Pastor: Matt Moore

lakewindermerealliance.orgApril 10rd10:30 a.m.

Worship and Life Instruction“Heavenly Headlines - Jesus

Vanishes” Pastor Matt Moore

ministering.

K.I.D.S Church for children age 3 to Grade 1; and grades 2-7, during the

morning service.

VALLEY CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY

4814 Hwy. Drive, 1 km northof Windermere250-342-9511

Pastor: Murray Wittkevalleychristianonline.com

Sunday is Worship Services

10 a.m. Worship & WordKid’s Church Provided

Sharing TruthShowing Love

Following the Spirit

ST. PETER’SLUTHERAN MISSION

OF INVERMERE

100 - 7th Ave., Invermere250-426-7564

Pastor Rev. David Morton

Worship ServicesSundays1:30 p.m.

Christ Church Trinity,Invermere

CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER

DAY SAINTS

5014 Fairway, Fairmont Hot Springs

250-341-5792President: Adam Pasowisty

Columbia Valley Branch

Worship ServicesSundays

10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Akisqnuk First NationAssistant Accountant

The Akisqnuk First Nation located in Windermere, B.C. is seeking a full-time Assistant Accountant. As the Assistant Accountant you will be responsible for reconciling the sub-ledgers to the general ledger on a monthly basis, performing payroll duties, preparing monthly bank and other reconciliations; preparing working papers amd supporting schedules for monthly and annual financial statements, and creating other financial spreadsheets using Excel as required.

For qualifications and a full position description, please visit www.akisqnuk.org .

Please submit your cover letter and resume to:Lorna Pollock CPA, CASenior Financial Officer3050 Hwy 93/95 Windermere, B.C. V0B 2L2Fax: 250-342-9693Email: [email protected]

*Deadline for submissions: April 25, 2016

Thank you to all applicants, however, only candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted.

Akisqnuk First NationSenior Financial Officer

Due to the upcoming retirement of the current Senior Financial Officer, the Akisqnuk First Nation located in Windermere, B.C., is seeking the right person to take over the management of it’s financial affairs.As the Senior Financial Officer you will be responsible for the overall financial management and reporting of the financial affairs of the Akisqnuk First Nation: managing finance, accounting, payroll, benefits, taxation; developing and implementing accounting policies and procedures and, providing overall guidance in all financial aspects of the Akisqnuk First Nation, including investments.


Please submit your cover letter and resume to:Lorna Pollock CPA, CAInterim Senior Administrative Officer3050 Hwy 93/95 Windermere, B.C. V0B 2L2Fax: 250-342-9693Email: [email protected]



Akisqnuk First NationSenior Administrative Officer

The Akisqnuk First Nation located in Windermere, B.C. is seeking a full-time Senior Administrative Officer. The Akisqnuk First Nation, one of the four Ktunaxa Bands, is growing in terms of governance and economic development and is seeking the right person to lead this growth.

As the Senior Administrative Officer you are the overall driving force in developing a long-term integrated community development strategy and identifying, assessing, and coordinating resources to implement this strategy. You shall promote and assist with building capacity within the Community to implement the additional powers and authorities that come with self-government. You will be responsible for the successful leadership and general management of the organization according to the vision, objectives and strategic direction set in conjunction with the Band Council.


Please submit your cover letter and resume to:Lorna Pollock CPA, CAInterim Senior Administrative Officer3050 Hwy 93/95 Windermere, B.C. V0B 2L2Fax: 250-342-9693Email: [email protected]



Al-Anon - Are you concerned about or affected by someone else’s drinking?

If so, please join us. Al-Anon meets EVERY

Monday at 7:15 PM and Thursday at 1:15 PM at the Canadian Martyrs Catholic

Church, 712 - 12th Ave, (behind the Invermere

hospital). For information, please call 250-342-8255

ALCOHOLICS Anonymous - If alcohol is causing problems or confl ict in your life, AA can help. Call 250-342-2424 for more information. All meetings are at 8 p.m. Invermere: Satur-day, Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday groups - Colum-bia United AA at the BC Ser-vices building, south end, 625 4th Street Invermere. Radium Friendship Group: Friday, Catholic Church. All meetings are open with the exception of Tuesdays.

Help WantedHelp Wanted

CANADA BENEFIT Group - Do you or someone you know suffer from a disability? Get up to $40,000 from the Canadian Government. Toll-free 1-888-511-2250 or www.canada-benefi t.ca/free-assessment

HIP OR knee replacement? Arthritic Conditions/COPD? Restrictions in walking/dress-ing? Disability tax credit $2,000 tax credit $20,000 re-fund. Apply today for assis-tance: 1-844-453-5372.

CANCEL YOUR Timeshare. No risk program stop mort-gage & maintenance pay-ments today. 100% money back guarantee. Free consul-tation. Call us now. We can help! 1-888-356-5248

TravelSAVE 30% on our Heart of the Arctic adventure. Visit Inuit communities in Greenland and Nunavut aboard the com-fortable 198-passenger Ocean Endeavour. Call for details! 1-800-363-7566 or visit online www.adventurecanada.com (TICO#04001400)

NEW EXCITING mini VLT’s. Produce buckets of cash monthly. Attracts customers like money magnets. Loca-tions provided. Ground fl oor opportunity. Full details call now 1-866-668-6629. Website www.tcvend.com

Career Opportunities

MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION! In-demand career! Employers have work-at-home positions available. Get online training you need from an employer-trusted program. Visit: Care-erStep.ca/MT or 1-855-768-3362 to start training for your work-at-home career today!

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INTERIOR HEAVY EQUIPMENT SCHOOL. Hands-On Tasks. Start Weekly. GPS Training!

Funding & Housing Avail! Job Aid! Already a HEO?

Get certifi cation proof.Call 1-866-399-3853 or go to:

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START A new career in Graphic Arts, Healthcare, Business, Education or Infor-mation Tech. If you have a GED, call: 855-670-9765

Help WantedHelp Wanted

Announcements Announcements Travel Employment Employment Employment

Information Information Timeshare Business Opportunities

Education/Trade Schools

Hotel, Restaurant, Food Services

RETIREMENT homes in Ke-lowna & Kamloops seeking Housekeeping/Dietary aids &Cooks. Resume to [email protected] or call 604-777-9292 for more info

Medical/DentalHEALTHCARE DOCUMEN-TATION Specialists are inhuge demand. Employerswant CanScribe graduates. A great work-from-home career!Train with Canada’s best-ratedprogram. Enroll today. www.canscribe.com. 1-800-466-1535, [email protected]

Place of Worship Place of Worship Place of Worship Place of Worship Place of Worship Place of Worship

To advertise in print:Call: 250-341-6299 Email: [email protected]

Self-serve: blackpressused.ca Career ads: localworkbc.ca

Browse more at:

A division of

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ON THE WEB:

INDEX IN BRIEFFAMILY ANNOUNCEMENTS

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

TRAVEL

EMPLOYMENT

BUSINESS SERVICES

PETS & LIVESTOCK

MERCHANDISE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE

RENTALS

AUTOMOTIVE

ADULT ENTERTAINMENT

LEGAL NOTICES

MAKE ANANNOUNCEMENT

FIND EVERYTHING YOUNEED IN THE CLASSIFIEDS

FIND IT CLASSIFIEDSIN THE

A14 invermerevalleyecho.com Wednesday, April 20, 2016 The Valley Echoy y, p , y

Advertising Sales RepresentativeThe Cranbrook Townsman has an opening for a multimedia Advertising Consultant.By joining the community newspaper serving Cranbrook, you can develop a rewarding career in advertising and marketing while contributing to one of the best communities in Canada. The team environment at the Cranbrook Townsman will inspire you to the highest level of customer partnership and reward your motivated approach to excellence.You should be a strong communicator, well organized, self motivated and enjoy working in a fast-paced environment. A car and a valid driver’s license are required.The Cranbrook Townsman is a member of Black Press, Canada’s largest private independent newspaper company with more than 150 titles in print and online in British Columbia, Alberta, Washington, Hawaii, California and Ohio.Please submit your resume and cover letter by April 29th to:The Cranbrook Townsman 822 Cranbrook Street N., Cranbrook, BC V1C 3R9 [email protected]

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blackpress.ca bclocalnews.com

The Hope Standard, a once a week, award winning community newspaper has an opening for an editor/reporter.

Reporting to the publisher, the editor/reporter will be instrumental in guiding the overall strategic direction of the Hope Standard. The successful candidate will possess above average leadership skills, will be a strong communicator, pay attention to detail and can work under pressure in a deadline driven environment.

This person will have the ability to perform editorial tasks and contribute to the editorial content both in print and online. Strong design skills with knowledge of InDesign, Photoshop and iMovie are required.

The editor will have a passion for, and is comfortable with, all aspects of multimedia journalism including diverse writing capabilities and advanced photography and video skills. You have a track record of turning around well-written, fact-based, concise, well-produced content quickly, for posting online immediately—with collateral (text, photos and video). You have demonstrable skills in all aspects of web journalism and a strong grasp of social media best practices (Twitter, Facebook, etc.).

Candidates should have a diploma/degree in journalism, or a related fi eld.

The Hope Standard is part of Black Press, Canada’s largest privately held, independent newspaper company with more than 150 community, daily and urban newspapers in B.C., Alberta, Washington State, Ohio and Hawaii.

Those interested should email a resume, writing samples and a cover letter to:Carly Ferguson, [email protected]

Deadline for applications is5:00pm Sunday April 24, 2016.

Thank you to all who apply. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Editor

Services

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Misc. for SalePOLE BARNS, Shops, steelbuildings metal clad or fabric clad. Complete supply and in-stallation. Call John at 403-998-7907; [email protected].

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REGIONAL DISTRICT OF EAST KOOTENAYPhone: 250-489-2791 Toll Free: 1-888-478-7335

Email: [email protected] Website: www.rdek.bc.ca

The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) Board of Directors is considering an application by Don and Laurie Stober to amend the Upper Columbia Valley Zoning Bylaw. If approved, the bylaw will amend the zoning designation of the subject property to permit an auxiliary dwelling unit accessory to the single family residence and accommodate subdivision. The subject property is located at 888 Swansea Road as shown on the attached map.

Bylaw No. 2687 cited as “Regional District of East Kootenay – Upper Columbia Valley Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 1992 – Amendment Bylaw No. 309, 2016 (Windermere / Stober)” will amend the designation of Lot 2, District Lot 7567 and 4596, Kootenay District, Plan NEP69388 from SH-1, Small Holding Residential Zone to R-1(C), Single Family Residential – Auxiliary Dwelling Unit Zone.



The Board has delegated the holding of this hearing to the Directors for Electoral Area F, Electoral Area G, and the District of Invermere.





Submissions cannot be accepted after the public hearing.All submissions will form part of the public record and will be published in a meeting agenda posted online. Personal contact information such as phone and email will be removed from written submissions. Questions about the disclosure of your personal information may be referred to the Corporate Officer at 250-489-2791 or 1-888-478-7335.

For more information, contact Jean Terpsma, Planning Technician, at 250-489-0314, toll free at 1-888-478-7335, or email [email protected].

Regional District of East Kootenay PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

BYLAW 2688Bylaw Amendment - Edgewater/Ruault

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE BYLAW 2687

Bylaw Amendment - Windermere/Stober

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE BYLAW 2676

Bylaw Amendment - Toby Benches OCPThe Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) Board of Directors is considering adoption of an Official Community Plan for the Toby Benches area. The Official Community Plan is a long-term strategic planning document that will establish policies for land use in the area.

Bylaw No. 2676 cited as “Regional District of East Kootenay – Toby Benches Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 2676, 2016.”



The Board has delegated the holding of this hearing to the Directors for Electoral Area F, Electoral Area G and the District of Invermere.






This notice is not an interpretation of the Bylaw. For more information, contact Kris Belanger, Planner at 250-489-6903 or toll free at 1-888-478-7335 or email [email protected].

The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) Board of Directors is considering an application by Ken and Diana Ruault to amend the Upper Columbia Valley Zoning Bylaw. If approved, the bylaw will amend the zoning designation of the subject property from C-1, Community Commercial Zone to C-2, Service Commercial Zone which will permit a variety of commercial uses, including vehicle repair services. The subject property is located at Selkirk Avenue as shown on the attached map.

Bylaw No. 2688 cited as “Regional District of East Kootenay – Upper Columbia Valley Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 1992 – Amendment Bylaw No. 310, 2016 (Edgewater / Ruault)” will amend the designation of Parcel D (DD KW74850A), Block 6, District Lot 353, Kootenay District, Plan 1185 from C-1, Community Commercial Zone to C-2, Service Commercial Zone.

A public hearing will be held at: Edgewater Community Hall 4818 Selkirk Avenue

Edgewater, BC Monday, May 2, 2016 at 7:00 pm

The Board has delegated the holding of this hearing to the Directors for Electoral Area F, Electoral Area G, and the Village of Radium Hot Springs.






For more information, contact Jean Terpsma, Planning Technician, at 250-489-0314, toll free at 1-888-478-7335, or email [email protected].

Bruce Dehart 250-347-9803 or 250-342-5357

Septic Tank

Pumping

Portable

Toilet Rentals

NEWSEWERCAMER

A

To advertise, call: 250-341-6299SERVING THE VALLEY

to give your business maximum exposurefor your advertising dollar?

Call 250-341-6299for more information.

Just one of the many reasons to visit LocalWorkBC

BC CAREERS


Volunteers help clear Lot 48 for conservation

LESLEY MARIAN NEILSONSubmitted

At the end of March, a group of volunteers gathered on the east side of Columbia Lake to clear out an area where small conifer trees were starting to encroach onto formerly open grassland habitat.

On March 20th, 17 members of the Lake Windermere District Rod & Gun Club and the Canal Flats Wilderness Club joined the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s stew-

Volunteers at work slashing and cutting the unwanted

growth in order to restore open grasslands on Lot 48.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

ardship staff on the conservancy’s Columbia Lake-Lot 48 conservation area for a day of slashing small coni-fers and pruning the lower limbs of larger established trees.

“This work benefi ts the native bunchgrass commu-nities and improve the winter range for elk, deer, and sheep, including other grassland-dependent species,” said Richard Klafki, stewardship co-ordinator for the Nature Conservancy of Canada in the Kootenays. “The pruning allows the animals — particularly bighorn sheep — to feel more comfortable as they move down into the opened up areas because they can see and avoid predators more easily.”

In the past, wildfi res kept forests from overtaking the low elevation grasslands of the Rocky Mountain Trench. Additionally, First Nations people used fi re to maintain grasslands and dry open forests thereby improving browse for ungulates, preventing shrub in-growth, and encouraging other resource uses.

Over the past century, with the increase of perma-nent human settlement in the valley, wildfi res have been suppressed in order to protect local communi-ties. This has allowed a dense forest to creep ever on-

ward into the grasslands. Plants and animals that had evolved to live in open areas are losing the habitat they need to survive.

“The Nature Conservancy of Canada’s mission is to protect ecologically important lands and habitats that support rare and at risk species. Sometimes we do this by restoring land that has been damaged or altered. Restoration and land stewardship is an important part of how we achieve our conservation goals,” said Klafki.

Volunteers like the club members who helped out on Lot 48 contribute valuable person-power to the enormous task of tending over 2,700-hectares of con-servation lands that the Nature Conservancy of Can-ada (NCC) owns and manages in the Rocky Mountain Trench.

“The people that come out and help us clear forest ingrowth, or treat invasive plants, or clean up garbage are making a real and direct contribution to conserva-tion in their community,” said Klafki. “And they have a great time doing it too.”

To fi nd out about volunteer opportunities with the NCC in the Columbia Valley, email [email protected] or call 250-342-5521.

13th

12:00 SHOTGUN STARTMAY 9, 2016

Sholinder & MacKaySand & Gravel

Complete line of aggregate productsfor construction and landscaping

Office: 250-342-6452 250-342-3773 Cell: 250-342-5833

READY MIX CONCRETE

For competitive prices and prompt service call:

250-342-3268 (plant) 250-342-6767 (office)

Proudly serving the Valley for over 50 years.

invermere valley echo, april 20, 2016

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